Uruguay Travel Guide: General Information about Uruguay.
Travel Guide Uruguay will take you to different fantastic places in Uruguay as well as some of the famous landmarks and notable places, so you will already have a general idea about Uruguay if and when you decide to actually travel and explore this fascinating country. And other than the places of interest, Travel Guide Uruguay will also give you valuable information such as the geography, demographics and the languages spoken in different parts of this country. Don’t forget to check out the travel safety tips in Uruguay as well as the other sections in our Travel Guide Uruguay! We do hope you will come back often to travel with us to other destinations around the world.
Introducing Uruguay
Uruguay is a delightful place to travel to and explore. Miles of immaculately clean beaches and clear open skies greet visitors from all over. The standard of living is high in Uruguay and the country’s exciting cities enjoy a cosmopolitan lifestyle. And yet the country is not overcrowded with tourists so travelers will have more time to explore and travel to the different scenic parts of Uruguay.
What can a visitor expect when traveling to Uruguay? Our Uruguay pocket travel guide to Uruguay will provide you with as overview of what the country is like, where to go and what to see, the things you can do in the country and safety travel tips while you are exploring the country. We also provide a few Spanish words and phrases that will help you get your message across. Our Uruguay travel guide is divided into sections so it will be easy for you to look up the information that you need as you travel around the many exciting parts of Uruguay.
Out of the many travel itineraries you can draw from an array of seaside resorts, rustic countryside, colorful avenues and shopping centers in Uruguay, top of many travelers’ destinations are the vibrant capital city of Montevideo where the carnival season competes with that in Rio; or you can plan to travel further and go to Colonia where cobblestones streets and colonial architecture from the 18th century Portuguese era makes the area very unique and picturesque; or travel to any of the several beautiful beaches along the miles of shoreline of Punta del Este where you can hobnob with Europe’s rich and famous jetsetters. If you are after a relaxing time after a frenetic nightlife, arrange to travel toward Uruguay’s interior and explore the dunes and lagoons or spend an overnight stay at a tourist estancia and experience the famous Uruguay’s gaucho lifestyle. Use our Uruguay travel guide to help get familiar with the country and plan a travel itinerary by yourself.
Officially the country is called Oriental Republic of Uruguay or the Eastern Republic or Uruguay. It is at the southeastern part of South America and home to about 3.5 million inhabitants, most of which are living in and around the capital city of Montevideo. Uruguay’s total land area is 176,000 square kilometers and its only land border is shared with Brazil on its northern side. On its southeast, Uruguay faces the southern portion of the Atlantic Ocean. To the southwest lies a part of Rio de Plata or the Silver River while its western side faces the Uruguay River.
Uruguay is ranked ninth in the most livable and greenest countries on earth, according to Reader’s Digest and the highest mark in the Global Peace Index among all Latin American countries. It is also the first country in the world to provide a free laptop and internet connection to every school child in Uruguay.
Nestled between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay is typically called South America’s version of Switzerland – a prosperous, economically stable and peaceful country amidst other troubled nations. Uruguay and Bolivia are the only nations that did not suffer from the financial crisis in 2000. It is a holiday destination, the home of the world-famous gauchos, Yerba maté, tummy-filling empanadas, sausage called morcilla dulce, hearty stew called buseca and pasta with Uruguay’s very own Caruso sauce.
Uruguay is also a favorite immigration location where same sex civil unions are legal; where literacy rate is quite high as education is free; where corruption is very low and the press is strongly independent. Aside from all that, the climate in Uruguay is tolerably subtropical, with the biggest attraction being the surf-pounded beaches, some of which are internationally recognized as some of the best in the world.
Almost the entire population of Uruguay is of Italian and Spanish ancestry, so it is not uncommon to see light-skinned, light-haired and blue-eyed Uruguayans. They are known to be very warm, extremely hospitable and generally friendly. Just like Argentina, Uruguay shares a love for tango and milonga, the music that originated from the Rio de Plata in Uruguay and Argentina. Milonga has a very lively beat, and the music and the dance that accompanies it are older than the tango.
River of the colorful (painted) birds – this is the literal translation of Uruguay. With its South Atlantic Ocean coastline, the name Uruguay is related to Arawak Guyana meaning a land of many waters. Actually Uruguay is not that big. In fact it is second to Suriname in being the smallest countries in South America. But the country is not to be outdone; it shares a passion for football with Argentina, its closest neighbor to the west as well as Brazil, which lies north of Uruguay. The country hosted the first ever World Cup and won it in 1930. The national team repeated the feat by winning the World Cup in 1950.
Spanish is the official language in Uruguay, although it is more a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. English is used in business and its study is on the rise, particularly with the younger set. It will be helpful if you learn a few words in basic Spanish, either by buying a phrase book or enrolling in a class in Spanish if you are planning to stay longer in Uruguay. Our Travel Guide Uruguay is a pocket book guide for you to learn about the country and have a glimpse of what you can see and experience in this land of the gauchos.
Allow our Travel Guide Uruguay to be your travel assistant as you explore a country that is full of nature’s wonders, scenic cities and rustic countryside, with long stretches of beaches, fun-loving and welcoming people and a fantastic nightlife. Explore the rest of the pages of our Travel Guide Uruguay to learn more.
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